Surfing Waves

I'm going to try to keep this relatively short and to the point.
I got a 6'8 fish as my first board, I started surfing in south florida (The swell is not very nice or reliable, but we make it work).
Weeks of practice and I've come to this: The board floats me okay, Is very quick, is very unstable for me.

I went out with a friend on his 7'4 longboard and he let me use it and wow, it was really nice. Things I noticed about his board: His board floated me very well, it felt slow , is very stable.

On my fish, I would always have problems popping up due to the instability and my lack of pop up form. On his board (despite it feeling slower), it was nice because I could pop up slowly and not fall off the board.

My point / question:
Is there a board size that will give me the speed of the fish, with the stability of the longboard? I'm thinking a 7'2 fish or 7'2 longboard?
(it perplexes me how 8 inches can make so much of a difference)


Thanks for any input!

Fascinating, you last posted in February about how the 6'8" was really difficult and you saw the need to go longer!
and here you are still struggling on it, I'm gonna say we told ya so!
BTW longboards can be just as fast as a short board they just can do some things better in their own specialities.
Yes 8" makes a lot of difference get a good standard all round board with the extra 8" or more.
You can also look at other ways of increasing the volume under you thickness and width.
Fish are made for good surfers to whip around in mushy conditions they use what you see as instability as a platform to be more performing.
Your weight and height are a factor in board dimensions too
Hey don't go fishy on us, fish can be pretty stinky boards for beginners.

If you are just starting out a fish will turn on you and slap you with the tail in heart beat (couldnt resist the corny humor) anyways use a long board at first until you are comfortable on that then go to a short board and onto a fish.

hi everybody first of all (new on nforum ) and I apologize for my bad english (as I said in my presentation topic I'm an italian surfer so have mercy...)

Blackvans1234 wrote:My point / question:
Is there a board size that will give me the speed of the fish, with the stability of the longboard? I'm thinking a 7'2 fish or 7'2 longboard?
(it perplexes me how 8 inches can make so much of a difference)
Thanks for any input!

imho I think you don't need speed if you can't manage it...
I learned years ago on a 7.9 bic natural surf and i think the best board for beginners....lot of volume, easy paddle and easy wave catch, no dings , easy to ride and to buy...
Obv it depends on your weight and height... you can always go on a 8.4 magnum if you're a big guy. I'm about 180cm and 80kg and 7.9 was the perfect board for me....
Don't get me wrong, you can learn on a fish.....but it's more difficult

Keep on surfin man


hi everybody again and greetings from Italy !!!!

There isnt really any such thing as a stable fast easy to turn easy to paddle board that does everything. If there was, everyone would surf the same board. Its just a matter of 'physics' that longer boards are generally slower and harder to turn but are more stable and easier to paddle. Everything is a trade off when it comes to boards.

That said, quads are faster than thrusters, so you could in theory get a longer board and set it up as a quad. Although the quad set up has its drawbacks as well... Some boards nowdays have 5 fin boxes, so you can ride as a twin, thruster or quad - try them all out.

You might want to look away from the fish style to the 'egg' or hybrid/funboard style, which will be faster than a mal style (but less stable) although a bit slower than a fish (but more stable than a fish).

I think the word slow is being incorrectly applied to longboards here. Yes longboards are slower to turn and less manouverable due to all the swing weight at the front, but you can pump a longboard down the line at high speed probably quicker than a shortboard.

As you have found out, a longboard is a lot more stable and you can catch waves earlier because they paddle faster, meaning you're popping up when the wave is less steep, and you have more time to do so. For this reason they are easier for learning the basics I would say.

[quote="jaffa1949"]Fascinating, you last posted in February about how the 6'8" was really difficult and you saw the need to go longer!
and here you are still struggling on it, I'm gonna say we told ya so!
[quote]


Close but no cigar. I actually moved to Florida in August 2011, started surfing sometime after, I think about october. I left Florida and moved back to NY the first week or two of Dec 2011.

I have not been back to Florida since, and have no surfed either.

I'm just pondering the future board selection I will try.
If I was still at it I would probably have it down by now.

Well it comes down to one thing then , there should be more Black vans in the water!
Is that the shoes or the vehicle?

the time out would have certainly robbed you of a chance for progress. Please don't go fishy, I think you will hinder your progress heaps !